One year
by Beta-Sheratan
Summary: (SPOILER ALERT) A one-shot of how I believe Natsu and Lucy should meet again after Natsu's leaving in Fairy Tail. Natsu x Lucy.


**A.N This is how I personally would love the Nalu reunion to go. I hope you enjoy. Some head cannons are in the A.N at the bottom :)**

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It was May, and the trees were full of fresh leaves and the flowers blossomed into vibrant colours of many shades. The sun was a warming orange in the sky, warmth radiated off of it like a mother hugging her child after play. Magnolia looked splendid, freshly built homes still smelling like new wood if you wondered inside of them. Market traders hollered people as they passed, one of two singing an old folk tune about their particular produce. Everyone looked fresh and new, it wasn't just the homes and freshly cemented cobblestone paths. They all looked like the past year had left them, their faces completely absent from terror. Something he had wished for the entirety of his trip.

He took in his home, the surroundings were new to him, but it was home all the same. His heart ached knowing that people had to rebuild their lives over the span of time he'd been absent, whilst he had walked away from the rubble without a second thought about how much work and tears people would've put into rebuilding what they held dear too them. As sad as he was about that, he couldn't help but smile proudly at the people in Magnolia, their courage still touched his heart to this day.

He had heard news over his leave that Fairy Tail had changed masters, at first he worried that gramps had gone and died a sudden death. That finally working like he did caught up to him. Luckily, he had just retired. Though still disappointing for him, he had to admit, it was good too know he was still kicking. It was when he pestered the person he overheard the news from for answers, that he learnt that Fairy Tail took the liberty of drawing when voting for a new master. Meaning they now "had two masters for the price of one," the man had said…

"Who did they elect?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Oh er… what were their names…" He thought for a moment, "Laxus Dreyer… and Erza Scarlet, I believe- ah yes, that's their names! Laxus and Erza!"

_Well, I guess that isn't the worse people to choose… _He had noted to himself, thanking the man before walking away. It was two days later that he decided to come back to Magnolia, and back to his family whilst he was at it.

Of course, that wasn't the only news that he had heard over the year. When he had first started training, he had bumped into Guildarts, and though they were glad to see each other, and that they brawled for a while, he had looked glum. "Natsu, you haven't heard, have you?"

"About what?" He had been eating at the time, his mouth stuffed full of meat, the juices running down his chin.

"Fairy Tail… They almost disbanded a week ago."

"What!" Natsu snapped, "What the heck!?"

Guildarts nodded, telling him the story that he had someone he knew well tell him that Makarov was on the last thread of disbanding Fairy Tail for good. Saying that they would've too, if it weren't for a team within the guild sticking up for their home.

"Who?" Natsu blinked, bewildered.

"Who do you think, you dimwit?" He laughed, "Team Natsu, of course! The guy I was speaking to overheard the whole thing. Lucy got right into Makarov's face, I believe she said something like, 'Freedom? You think this'll give us freedom!? Then you really do not know us, _Master_! Fairy Tail is my home, my family, the only thing I have! Fairy Tail gave me freedom, and if you take that away you'd be no better than a slave driver!' she apparently then went onto say, 'if you just want to retire, then go ahead, do that. Fairy Tail doesn't have to disband all because Makarov Dreyer called it a day!' It was then Gray stepped in, he apparently suggested a vote. The vote came in that everyone wanted Fairy Tail to stay as a guild, a family and home to others. Makarov gave up after that, letting them do as they pleased." Guildarts laughed loudly.

Natsu had to smile, as shocked as he was, his guild was still standing…

_And it is all thanks to her… _

And so it was, he was back. His feet hurt, his back ached from the bags he carried. The journey was long, but he was home.

He stood in front of the guildhall, looking up happily at the emblem standing tall at the top. He turned to his blue companion and chuckled, "Ready, Happy?"

"Aye, sir!" He cheered back, just as excitedly as Natsu.

"N-Natsu!? H-Happy!?" A small voice squeaked. Natsu widened his eyes, looking over his shoulder to see a very familiar face standing there.

He ran and picked her up and spun her around, "Wendy!" He laughed, she giggled back. "You've grown! What're you now, five foot four?"

"Five - five, actually. I had a growth spurt!" She giggled again, he put her down. She clapped her hands together, "How are you! How did your training go? You look…. huge!" She widened her eyes, "And your hair!"

He looked down on himself, sure enough, he saw what she saw. His muscles had doubled in size, he had grown two inches, and his hair was mid-neck in length, tied halfway in a leather strong in a messy pony-tail style. He knew he had changed, and understood his little friend's shock at seeing him.

"Yeah, things have changed for me… that's for sure. The training went perfectly, obviously!" He grinned, ruffling his own hair. "How're things… with the guild? I heard about the troubles."

She nodded, "Yeah, it was rough for a while. We didn't know who to have for our guild-master, so it was mostly run by the guild only. But we knew it couldn't last that way. Erza and Laxus are doing really well, the contrast oddly bodes well together." She smiled again, "We're still number one, so it shows how well we're doing."

Natsu smiled, "That's good to hear." He looked back to the guild, Wendy smiled happily.

"Let's go in!" She suggested excitedly, she widened her eyes, "Everyone will be so happy to see you!"

Natsu grinned triumphantly, "Obviously they will!"

Holding his hand, Wendy led him inside the guild hall. Her eyes spilling with relieved tears as they went through the doors. "Guys! Look who I found!" She stepped aside, "Natsu's home!"

Everyone looked up shocked, their faces slack and their eyes wide. Mirajane dropped a glass behind the bar as she put her hands to her mouth. Lisanna who was playing snooker with Bixlow and his 'babies', almost smacked Bixlow in the face with the cue as she looked up in amazement. Macao and Wakaba both looked up from the latest issue of Sorcerer Weekly, Wakaba's cigar falling from his mouth and landing on Macao's hand, which he yelped in pain in response. People who he didn't know, and people he knew suddenly all grinned in unison, yelling his name in unison.

He was suddenly worried when a stampede of them pushed him over and dog piled on top of him to get a chance to hug him. He coughed and begged too be set free, they all laughed and started to scuffle with him. Meanwhile he was still squashed under Reedus's massive weight.

It was their laughter that made him put up with it, the laughter of the people he loved fuelled him… it was suddenly all worth it.

"What is the meaning of this?" A voice boomed through the hall, all the people got off him suddenly. Natsu sat up and looked upwards to the second floor, where, stood at the banister was no other than Erza. She was sporting a body hugging black skirt and button up frilled shirt, looking mightily professional, especially with the heels she was wearing - which Natsu thought could easily kill a man. She spotted Natsu, double taking before her eyes doubled in size. "Natsu…" her voice was soft. She suddenly marched toward him, he bit his lip and squeezed his eyes closed.

_Oh shit, she's gonna kill me. _

Arms hugged around him, he opened his eyes and looked down. Erza hugged him tight. "Thank god, you're safe…" She sighed, looking up. It was a second later that her fist collided into his jaw with mind-blowing force. He landed on a table in the far corner of the room, his head spinning. "Just over a year, and you don't send one letter to tell us that you're perfectly well!" She yelled, her eyes went from content to fuming in seconds. A skill Natsu still admired to this day.

"Gonna' have to agree with her on that one, you ass." A hand helped Natsu up, but the voice was too familiar to misplace. Gray chuckled, "You really gave us a scare."

Gray has beefed out also over the past year, Natsu noticed once his head stopped spinning. He still had a semi-lean frame, though his arms were stronger and a lot more toned than before. His hair was longer, venturing for a small pony tail. He wore his blue shirt that he usually donned under his white jacket and black jeans, looking otherwise the same as before. It was the glowing golden ring on his marriage finger, though, that caught Natsu's eye.

"What!? YOU GOT MARRIED?" Natsu yelled loudly, holding his hand tightly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Gray gritted his teeth, "You've been here for five minutes, and you're already pissin' me off!" He punched him again, Natsu blinked and shoved him. If it weren't for Erza and Mirajane's death like stares, they would've ruined the entire guild. Gray brushed himself off, "I'm not married, me and Juvia got engaged a few weeks back. She got me an engagement band, I guess it is her way of fending off the preying of other women… even though that ain't needed." He smirked, getting out a picture. "Though, what is new is this." He held it out, pride filling his expression. Natsu looked at it, sure enough it was Juvia standing in a nicely decorated room, she was wearing nothing other than a night dress, which Natsu blushed to. But it was the bump where her stomach was that caught his eye.

"A baby huh?" Natsu chuckled, "Not bad, congratulations man." He cocked his head, "When's it due?"

Gray smiled, "September. The doctor's think it's a boy. We wanna' call it Nahuatl if a boy and if indeed it is a girl, Juvia likes the name Eirlys." He grinned widely, "But the most important thing? I'm gonna be a daddy!"

Natsu rolled his eyes, "You big head, one kid and you get all high and mighty" He winked, Gray gave him a warning glare.

"Natsu," Levy interrupted suddenly, her smile was warm and inviting, just like always. Gajeel watched them from afar, he had opted for his hair to be tamed into a braid scaling down his back. Levy's hair had even grown to her mid back, her bangs framing her pretty face as a hair clip shaped as a dragon held a small braid, like Gajeel's but a minute version, was her only hair accessory.

To be honest, Natsu was happy to see her in another colour other than Orange. She wore a dark blue day dress, a few shades darker than her own hair. It looked good to see her in different colours.

"Levy, good to see ya'." He looked around again, spotting Happy goggling at Carla as she sat with a tea at a table. "Where's Lucy?"

"Oh!" Levy grinned, "She's probably training. She does that a lot after a long mission like the one she just went on." She gestured to the direction of the door, "Maybe I could show you where she trains?"

"Training? Like real training?" Natsu sniggered, "That's not like Lucy."

Levy opened her mouth to comment when Mirajane swiftly walked past to Laxus whom Natsu hadn't spotted as he was behind a pile of different papers working, she placed a drink on the table and kissed his hair. He mumbled a thank you, she giggled before interrupting Levy. "Didn't you hear? Since there are two masters, Laxus and Erza decided it fair that two people won this years S-Class Trials." She winked, "Guess who won."

Natsu's mouth went slack, "L-Lucy!?"

"That's right! Gray as well, finally. Lucy even managed to beat Cana when they faced each other." Mira chuckled wickedly.

Cana went red, "Not my fault she's gone Aquarius crazy in the past year, that girl trains more than she sleeps."

Natsu couldn't quite honestly believe what he was hearing. Lucy was always strong, sure. He knew that. But S-Class? So soon? Surely there had to be a mistake in there somewhere.

_But then again, _he smiled warmly. _She's Lucy… Full of surprises. _

He looked back to Levy, "Where is she?"

A quirky smile was placed on her lips, "Follow me… Gajeel! I'll be taking Natsu to Lucy, can you cook tonight?"

"Takeout?" He suggested. Pantherlily turned his lip in disgust.

"Precisely" She replied with a wink, leading Natsu out of the guildhall.

The walk to Lucy was half an hour, the sun was starting to set, the late afternoon air felt good against his skin. Happy falling asleep on top of his head, however, broke the moment. Though he didn't dare wake him, he was just as tired as Natsu was.

Levy made conversation, Natsu answered happily. Her and Gajeel had moved in together, they had been dating since Natsu left. When Natsu asked if a wedding was in the distance she blushed heavily, stuttering her reply of, 'maybe…hopefully.' She asked how his training went, he flexed his muscles, she giggled, 'well then,' she mumbled.

It was when she got a certain tree, she paused in her stride. "She's just over there, I can hear the water." She looked at him, "I would stop by, but Gajeel always gets my order wrong on takeout nights." She laughed, "Honestly, men!" She patted Natsu's shoulder, "See ya!" She skipped off back towards the guildhall, leaving Natsu to silently stew in his nerves.

_Why do I feel that she's leaving me to go into the dogs den alone?_

Indeed, he heard water. Though he didn't understand why. As far as he knew, Lucy had no water magic abilities. She was a Celestial Spirit Mage, not a Water Mage. Instead of pondering on it a moment longer, he walked up the hill and to the tree, peeking behind it.

The sight he saw bewildered his senses. Lucy was wearing a loose fitting, light pink day dress with white lace frilling around it, the bodice holding up her breasts perfectly. She wore no shoes, and her hair was shorter. Curled as well, wavering in the air as she seemingly danced through the grass. It took him a minute to realise that she wasn't dancing, she was training. Perfectly rounded balls of water were in the middle of her palms, she moved through the grass like a panther. Majestic and mysteriously. It was Loke who she was fighting against. He blocked some of her moves, however, she kissed his cheek playfully, she managed to gain access to flick her leg upwards, her thigh landing on his shoulder. Through his love-struck daze, Loke made an 'ooof' sound, and bent down slightly. Letting Lucy flip herself around and push her palms against his back as she flew mid-air.

The impact on Loke's back meant that he was blasted forward by a small ocean of water, he rolled and got back to his feet. Panting slightly through exhaustion, Lucy however, didn't look too fatigued. Maybe she was getting better at fuelling her magic power after all. He managed to hit her a few times, though on his third hit, she did a drop to the floor, knees bent. She gritted her teeth as energy built up quickly in her first, the water ball growing larger. She thrusted her fist forward, punching Loke backwards. He yelped, smacking into the tree that Natsu hid behind. Eyes stunned.

Happy had woken up before this, and seen everything. He worryingly mumbled, "Let's not piss off Lucy anymore, ok?"

"That's a deal." Natsu said, shakily.

Loke heard him and whipped his head around, it took him a moment, but his eyes went wide before he stood. "Natsu?" He grinned, "You're back."

"Yeah… came too see Lucy." He gestured to her, she was picking up her jacket and bag. "How is she?"

Loke looked too her, "Fine. Really fine," he chuckled. "She's become sensationally stronger than before. She's almost as strong as Aquarius now."

"What?" Natsu blinked.

"Didn't you hear?" He sighed, "When a Zodiac Celestial Spirit breaks their key for the Celestial Spirit King, their soul cannot come out of the Celestial Spirit World anymore. Therefore, their powers can't come out of the Spirit World either without a vessel, so the power finds someone else. They found Lucy. The King urged them to her. She is the new Aquarius in many ways, we don't know what happens when she passes… when she's much older, obviously. She may become a Zodiac, she may not. But for now, people nickname her 'The water barer' or 'Mermaid'" He chuckled, "It's amazing, really." He winked to Natsu, "The tattoo suits her." He gestured to the blue tattoo on her chest.

_Makes sense… _Natsu thought through his addled mind.

Lucy was still packing her bag with some stuff when Natsu stepped forward, Loke cleared his throat quietly. Disappearing to the Spirit World, thankfully.

He noiselessly walked across the field to her, her body was toned now. Her legs strong, her arms beautiful. He could only imagine what the rest of her looked like under that dress.

It had made sense, that recently the thoughts of her went from hugs and playing around too those hugs and playing turning into something else. He never had thought of women like that before, but suddenly, Lucy was all he could think about like that. How many times had he imagined her under him as he made me moan his name. Those moans…

_Goddamn it… _He sighed.

"Loke, we're done for the day. Thanks for your help…" She said over her shoulder, Natsu stilled. His heart thudding. She straightened her back, "Loke?" She turned around. Natsu was met with a sudden facial expression that resembled, anger, shock and sadness. "Natsu." She mumbled, her voice small.

"You're looking good… fighting! I meant… whilst fighting. I was watching…" He fiddled with the tassel of his shirt, "I'm back… Levy showed me the way to you."

"When did you come back?" Her tone was unintelligible. Almost completely monotonous.

"Today. I went to the guild, cause' you're usually there through the day, unless you're on a job of course. Then the guild told me about the S-Class trials… Loke just told me about the new magic - it sounds just like you… it sounds amazing." He stuttered, ruffling his hair nervously.

She stared at him, her eyes were still. Her hair floated in the breeze, he could smell her scent. It had matured slightly, the smell of her own musk and a floral perfume filtered through his nose. "I was going to send a letter, but I didn't know where you were. I can understand not wanting me there, after all, it's dangerous. But what I can't understand, however, is why you didn't at least send me a letter so I could keep in contact." She crossed her arms over her chest, "It was a complete and utter asshole move on your part." Her voice was suddenly firm, quite assertive.

"Yeah…" He groaned, "I know, Lucy…" He looked to her, her eyes not budging. "I needed to go quickly, and I knew if I stayed any longer, you or anyone from Fairy Tail would've stopped me or come with me. I couldn't risk that."

She nodded, and relaxed slightly. "By the looks of it, your training went well." She leant more on one leg, her hand on her hip. She eyed him, smirking. "You look good." Her smile burst with colour, Natsu's breath hitched.

He grinned, ruffling his hair again. "Obviously, could you expect any less?"

She cocked her head and smiled, "It seems both of our training went well."

"Yeah… you're kicking ass." He chuckled, "Maybe we can finally fight soon?"

She leaned in and winked, "I'd be afraid to kick your butt."

"Confident, huh?" He chuckled.

Her smile faltered for a moment, and then it returned. "I've become a lot more confident lately," She sighed, leaning in for a hug. Her arms wrapped around his waist, her head resting in the crook of his neck.

"Me too…" He whispered, holding her close. His breath tickling her ear, she snuggled closer. Her lips brushing his neck, he tried not to shudder. "Lucy…"

"Natsu?" She looked up at him, her eyes peeking through her thick lashes.

"I… I know I don't deserve it… not really. But- but can I … forget it."

She stared at him, "Can you… do what?" She smiled a small smile, an innocent smile.

He bit his lip, "Can I kiss you?"

She instantly leaned her head upwards, their lips brushing over each other. "Of course you can… but only if you promise me something."

"What's that?"

"Don't you ever leave me again, got that? Not even if it's dangerous. I want to be there." She said strongly, "I want to help you defeat Zeref. Why the hell do you think I goddamn trained so hard? So I want to help, if I die, it'll be because of me and not you. Got that?" She smiled, victoriously. As if she'd planned the whole thing out. Rehearsed it even. "After all," She continued. "It's more fun when we're together." Her smile… the smile that he saw of Tenrou Island, all those years ago. It was so breathtaking… he swallowed hard, sighing deeply. He was defeated.

"As much as I hate the idea of you fighting my battles with me…" He held her close again, smiling wide and chuckling. "Looks like I got my partner in crime again. So I promise, I will never leave you again. No matter what happens."

He grabbed her hair, pulling her head up. "I love you, Lucy."

"I love you too, Natsu." She blushed, leaning in. He nipped her lip teasingly before their lips softly brushed each other and kissed softly.

_And finally… I am home._

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**A.N - I hope you enjoyed this one shot :) It's how I wish things would happen, though I know it won't xD Possibly... probably. By the way, Natsu and Lucy's looks are based on approvesport on tumblr. It's amazing! **

**Head-cannons. **

*** ****Natsu took a little over a year to come back to Magnolia, mainly because he didn't feel like he'd trained enough to go back. He felt guilty, as if he hadn't done enough for his family. **

***Team Natsu were the main reason Fairy Tail stayed as a guild. They didn't want Natsu to come home without his family there. **

***Erza's outfit was selected for her 'secret' meet-up with Jellal later that day. **

***Gray and Juvia took a while to start dating, mainly because of Gray not wanting to rush into anything. Though they soon realised they couldn't keep back their admiration for each other. **

***Gray and Juvia have a son first, and then twins. (As hinted by Fairy-Mage on tumblr, but different names.)**

***Levy and Gajeel marry after Erza and Jellal, who do it in semi-secret. (The two guilds knew, and some of Sabertooth)**

***Lucy only became an S-Class wizard because she wanted to prove to Natsu that she could help him defeat Zeref. And she did. **

***Lucy beats Natsu in their first match together. And not because he let's her. (Seriously, she's badass strong)**

***Lucy and Natsu have a son not long after Natsu's return, they name him Vulcan (after the roman god of fire) **


End file.
